We've all heard the old PR adage: "There's no such thing as bad publicity." While you may or may not agree with this sentiment, we can recognize that free publicity, when it's good for your brand, is better than publicity you have to pay for.

So how can you earn publicity that is not only beneficial for your brand, but also free of charge? There are many creative ways to get your brand noticed; try inviting your community to a free movie screening in your office, collaborating with likeminded companies when pitching to the media, or positing your executives as thought leaders on social media.

Below, nine communications executives from Forbes Communications Council share the tried-and-true methods they have used to gain free company publicity.

Show a free movie. We’ve had success during the summer by inviting the local community to a makeshift drive-in movie night in one of the facility’s parking lots (under the soft glow of our branding on the building). It’s a real twofer -- a fun way to reach out to the community with free publicity for our brand while reinforcing our brand messaging that SYKES is a fun place to work. - Eileen Canady, SYKES

2. Do your research.

Whether you're launching a brand, product or announcement, doing your research should always be your first and most important step. Get to know free tools like HARO (Help A Reporter Out), which provides daily leads on journalists working on stories and looking for sources, and calendar listings like Eventbrite, which can support foot traffic to events and live activations. -Alyssa Carroll, ASTRSK

3. Collaborate strategically.

If you’re a mission-based brand, pooling efforts with other likeminded companies is a great way to introduce yourself to the exact audiences you want to reach. Often it’s much more interesting to journalists than whatever piece of news you happen to be touting at the moment because it signals something bigger than your company’s agenda. - Leta Soza, AirPR

4. Give back while supporting your mission.

We recently launched Her Wealth, a women's financial initiative, and we offer an annual scholarship as part of the program. A nice by-product to this commitment to paying it forward is the media's interest in Her Wealth. - Lisa Poff, Bridgewater Wealth & Financial Management

As an online publisher, we constantly search for new contributing authors. After identifying potential subject matter experts, we then research their public and social media presence. We prioritize those who are active on personal web pages: LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. We have found that those who are social media savvy are likely to post a link to their article on our sites and give us free exposure. - William Topaz, Healthcare Brands